Embracing Life’s Pauses

Can You Stay Present When Life Pushes the Pause Button?

In this fast-paced world there is little time to consider life from a deeper place within. However, I’ve noticed lately that we are experiencing times when it seems that our pause button has been pushed. What does this pause look like and what does it mean?

Here’s what some have experienced recently that has put them on pause:

Your computer locks up, quits, and you have to replace the hard drive

Fluctuations in your energy means your pace has to change

Financial flow seems stagnant even though you are doing what has always worked before.

Unexpected health issues arise for yourself or someone close to you

The politics of your job become intolerable. You choose to quit.

This kind of change can feel scary and exciting all at the same time. There is a sense of mystery in the midst of what can seem catastrophic. We feel there is more to this than the frustration and not knowing what is next.

Even the movement of the planets tells us there is a reason for this kind of pause. July 31st is the last Blue Moon (second full moon in a month) until 2018.

“This cosmic event is unprecedented–it’s truly a month of transitions.

The skies have collided to physically slow all of us down. It seems that it is so easy for most of us to get caught up in our daily lives that we often feel we can push aside issues or decisions because it seems like there will always be more time–more chances.

This moon we are being asked to stop, look around and to see the bigger picture. We are being asked to notice where in our lives we have been neglecting the truth, or what situations we have been putting off. It’s not easy to deal with life head on–but the moon isn’t only encouraging it, it is making it a requirement.

. . . It’s as if we are all on the edge of something so big and we have to make the decision to take the path we’ve always taken–or to jump into the territory of new possibilities.” Read more

So my question to you and to me is, “Can we stay present when life pushes the pause button?”

First, I find that I want to push through and keep on going. I have learned that doesn’t work. So, I pay attention. I ask my deeper self some questions.

What is the gift in the pause? Is it a time of re-calibration? Is it a message to rest? Or, perhaps it is a way to appreciate the opposite of movement.–to find lack-of-motion as part of the balance in life.

I have a number of “tools” I use when I want greater clarity and new information. Recently, I chose to pick a card from 4 different oracle decks. You may be familiar with the “Medicine Cards.” I picked the Hummingbird card. Here are some sentences that stood out (bolding is mine).

Hummingbirds can fly in any direction – up, down, backwards, and forwards. Hummingbirds can also hover in one spot and appear to be motionless.

It is said that Hummingbird conjures love as no other medicine does, and that Hummingbird feathers open the heart. Without an open and loving heart, you can never taste the nectar and pure bliss of life.

One way to look at a pause in life is that we are hovering, ready to move in whatever direction comes next. Movement and pause may seem contradictory, but perhaps they allow the balance in life. Without the pause, we may not stop long enough to open our hearts and sample life’s tastiest nectar.

From this and many other messages I have received in this time of pause, I am choosing to embrace a different pace without reservations. I am trusting that when it is time for movement, like the hummingbird, I can move in any direction. The Blue Moon encourages me to be ready to jump into new possibilities

Have you been experiencing a pause in your life? If so, what do you notice about your reactions. Are they different from what they would have been a few years ago? Please share your thoughts in the comment section below so others may know they are not alone in this time of pause.

Let’s hover like a hummingbird, ready for whatever comes next!

Blessings,

Arlene Arnold

www.ThePowerofColor.com

Here are the decks of cards I used. Click on each picture to learn more about these decks.